


you caught my eye (my heart stood still)

by gaysnerd



Series: emergency beaujester week [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Jester is an art student, Yearning, beau is a librarian, caleb is too, crushing from afar, lots and lots of yearning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:48:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24241564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaysnerd/pseuds/gaysnerd
Summary: Beau is bored. Shes single, twenty-three, and works at a library. Then, a mysterious girl with blue hair needs help, and it changes the course of Beaus life forever. Ensue gay panic, some background meddling of Nott and Caleb, and good, gay yearning.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre/Beauregard Lionett
Series: emergency beaujester week [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1749760
Comments: 3
Kudos: 71
Collections: Emergency Beaujester Week





	you caught my eye (my heart stood still)

**Author's Note:**

> title from That Old Feeling - Frank Sinatra

* * *

  
Everything, for Beau, was less than perfect. It was her 5th and (hopefully) final year at Zadash State University, and all she had to show for it was a caffeine addiction and a job working in the library. She was technically there as a double major, for History and Business, but her degree was taking so long and she wasn't too thrilled about being in undergrad still. Her dad, whom Beau held an extreme dislike for, forced her to major in business so she could take over the winery, and she had taken up history to spite him. She had originally planned on fully switching over to just history, but she ended up not entirely hating her business classes, so she stayed.

And here she was, twenty-three, sitting at the desk near the front of the Cobalt Archive, the university’s library. Wearing an unbuttoned dark blue flannel over a gray tank top, she had decided that dress codes were for losers, and instead provided a loose interpretation of what she deemed was ‘presentable.’

She was currently thumbing through her latest assigned reading, _A Brief History of the Menagerie Coast, and its Surrounding Regions_. It was over 600 pages long, at a 12 pt. font too.

“Brief my ass.” She murmured under her breath.

“Ja Beauregard? You said something?” her cohort responded without looking up from sorting textbooks. It was none other than one Caleb Widogast, fellow history major and coworker. Who Beau forgot had been sitting there beside her for the last three hours. She looked up from her book and stared at him for a moment.

He was on the older side of things, Beau thought. Having done his undergrad in Rexxentrum, he was nearing either thirty or thirty-three, she couldn’t quite remember. Either way, with shaggy, unkempt red hair, and a beard that was in desperate need of a trim, he looked like he had spent the last twenty years deep in the Savilirwood. Caleb, unlike Beauregard, managed to at least adhere to their employer’s dress code. He had on a white button up, and a light tan sweater. A loosely tied red scarf was draped around his neck. Beau thought Caleb at least looked like a librarian, albeit a disheveled one. 

Beau responded after a moment of zoning out “Oh nothing I was talking to myself.”

“Oh, I thought you had something important to say.”

It was a quiet evening. Midterms had just finished the previous week, so an already quiet library was emptier than usual. And so here she was, at 7pm on a Tuesday, desperately trying to pass the tantalizingly slow hours. Every 20 minutes or so, some student would come up for help, trying to find a book or an article, or a computer stopped working and they couldn’t log on. When she could, she made their interaction as brief as possible, and when she could avoid it, she never left the desk. Caleb and Beau took turns helping people and filing the returned books. But by 10 pm, all the returned books had been put away to their respective places, and the two of them sat there reading.

It was nearing 11, the number of people working in the library had dropped even further than the few that were in there earlier in the evening. A girl with dark blue hair pulled up into two space buns approached the desk. Without looking up from his book, Caleb duly informed Beauregard that it was, in fact, her turn to help.

“Shove off Caleb” Beau put her book down, looked up and froze. 

Standing in front of the desk was probably the cutest person Beau had ever seen. She was short, with light blue, paint stained overalls with one strap off, over a pastel pink shirt with a unicorn on it. She graced a small button nose, and purple lipstick topped full lips. Her ears were filled with piercings, and Beau felt herself falling in love. 

“Hello?” her voice snapped Beauregard right out of the trance she had fallen into.

“I need help with one of the scanners, I'm trying to send some of my art to my mama and I can’t get it to work.” Despite the disappointment in her voice, Beau believed her voice to be the cherry on top of an already perfect person. 

“Oh. Yes. Hi. How, uh, can I help you?” Beau bumbled. 

“I need help with a scanner? I thought I already said that though” the girl replied with a bit of playfulness in her voice. 

Beau wanted to smack herself. She had been so entranced by this beautiful girl that she had immediately ceased all brain function. She was sure Caleb would give her shit if he heard her. A quick glance to her side confirmed her suspicions. He had slightly looked up from his book, and a sly smirk was slowly spreading across his face. She shook her head. 

“Oh right, yes, uh, what seems to be the problem, that I am going to, uh, help you with.” Beau stammered.

If there was ever a time to be her traditional woman loving, suave, and sexy self, now was it, but it appeared that her brain was actively working against her. Once again, Beau felt a strong urge to smack herself. She made a mental note to do a particularly tiresome workout in the morning. 

The girl giggled. Beau was convinced that her laugh could cure cancer. It was so light, yet it carried this electricity in a way that seemed to ignite the air around her. 

“It keeps throwing an error code when I try to scan my drawings. I think I am using it right, but I’m not sure.” she explained with a soft shrug. “I’ve never been a very computer-y person.” she continued, wiggling her eyebrows playfully. 

Beau felt her heart stop beating. Despite not knowing this girl at all, she decided right there in that moment that she was going to help this girl in every way physically possible. 

She regained her posture and managed to spit out “Right okay. If it's the scanner I think it is I’ll be able to help. It's been…” she paused and accidentally locked eyes with the girl. Quickly dropping the contact, Beau continued. “Uh, acting up lately. I know just the thing that will fix it.” She rushed the end of the statement, quickly got up from her chair, and practically ran towards the other side of the desk. 

Beau led the girl across the library and desperately tried not to think about pinning her against the bookshelves and making out with her in secret. She felt her cheeks warm, and quickly shook her head to try to remove the feeling. It didn’t work. Not at all. When they got to the computer lab portion of the library, the girl pointed at the scanner in the north end of the room. 

“That's the one,” she said. 

Beau let out a quick chuckle. “Yeah that one has an issue at least once a week. For as much money the school has you would think they would have enough to replace the shitty tech in the library, like?” she mused. 

“I know right? Our tuition is how much!” the girl agreed, giggling. 

Beau gestured towards one of the computers and asked for the girl to log on. She tried to get a glance at her name, but didn’t see it in time. 

“You can put the thing you are trying to scan in the scanner now, I'll be able to fix it” said Beau. She reached behind the computer and fiddled with a few wires, and then asked the girl to hit the type of file she wanted. 

They existed in a tense silence for a moment. The girl with blue hair broke it. “I like your tattoo.” 

Beau froze, and then slowly brought up a hand to the back of her neck, resting her fingertips gingerly on the ink. She forgot she was wearing her hair up, which exposed the eye tattooed on her neck, with all its lines, reaching up her skull and down her spine, diving into the back of her shirt. 

“Oh, uh, thank you, I got it after my friend died…” she trailed off. Noting the girl’s concerned expression she quickly added “Uh, it's okay though, it's been a few years. I do Still miss him though.” 

“It looks like a very fitting tribute to a good friend” the girl softly replied. 

“He was the best. Left everywhere a little better than when he found it. He taught me a lot.” Beau kicked herself for bringing Molly into this. 

Providing a soft smile, the girl said “He sounds wonderful, I would have liked to meet him.” 

Beau locked eyes with the girl. “You would have loved him.”

Beau wasn’t quite sure why she said that. She had barely met this girl, had already partially fallen in love with her, and was talking about Molly. Oh how much teasing she would have received from him, if he were to hear about how much of a fool Beau was making of herself in front of a cute girl. 

Neither of them broke their gaze. The following silence was palpable.

After what Beau was convinced was an entire lifetime, the computer dinged.

“Oh it looks like it worked.” Beau said, and immediately looked away from the girl and towards the monitor. On the screen was a beautifully inked drawing of a mermaid holding a sailor on a beach. Beau swore the sailor was a woman, but she didn’t get a good enough look before the girl quickly clicked away to the save screen. 

Maybe I need glasses, Beau thought. “Alright I hope that your issue is solved, I’ll be at the desk if you need anything else goodnight.” Beau said, quickly turning and walking away before the girl had the chance to respond. 

Beau heard a soft goodnight behind her as she left. 

“Caleb, Caleb!” she hissed. “Did you see that girl? She was so cute, oh my Gods, and I didn’t get her name!” But I'll never forget her face…” she trailed off, gazing into space. 

“I am sorry you did not get her name. And yes I saw her” Caleb replied, deadpan. 

“I hate you”

“I know. You say that every time we work together.” 

Caleb was right. For the past 3 semesters, she seemed to be paired up with Caleb more than anyone else for shifts, and she did tell him that almost every time. 

“Whatever, Caleb.” 

They sat quietly for the rest of the shift, and at midnight, locked up the library, and parted ways for the night. 

When Beauregard got home that night, she kicked off her sneakers and immediately collapsed onto her bed. When she closed her eyes all she saw was blue hair and the mischievous smile of one mystery girl. “Fuuuuccckk.” 

Thursday was the next time she had a shift. When she was getting ready that morning, she took extra care picking out her outfit, and ended up settling on a short sleeve button down that showed off her toned arms. 

“It's not even like she's gonna be in the library tonight.” she said to herself as she fell again face first into her bed, legs flopping up. She stayed there for a moment, until she realized she was running late for class

That evening, Beau entered through the back entrance to the library. As she was opening the door, Beau realized she wasn’t going to know if the girl was even in the library until she herself was in. Sure enough, when Beau made her way through to the desk and looked out around the library, the girl wasn’t there. 

“It was silly for thinking that” Beau murmured. 

“Ja, Beauregard?” Caleb looked up from his book. 

“ARGH! Not you caleb. I was just, hoping that maybe the girl would be here tonight. “

“Do you have a crush on her, Miss Beauregard?” questioned caleb. 

“Shove off Caleb” And with that, Beauregard began to wait. And work, which she told herself was what she was there to do. 

5 o’clock, no girl. 6 o’clock, no girl. 7 o’clock, no girl. 8 o clock, no girl. The hours passed slowly for Beauregard, even though she rushed through all of the administrative duties she had to perform that evening. Around 9 pm, into the library walked a girl with blue, shoulder length hair. 

Beauregard just about slapped Caleb when she walked in. “Caleb!” she hissed “Shes here” 

“Thats nice beauregard” 

The girl sat a reasonable distance from the help desk, but she sat so that she was still facing it. Beau thought that must mean something still. The girl pulled out a sketchbook and began to draw. She glanced up, and Beau turned her head away so quickly that she heard her neck pop. 

And so it became a routine. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, when Beauregard worked, around 9 pm, the girl would come in, sit at the same desk and draw. Beau would steal glances, as would the girl, and they never made eye contact for longer than a second. 

This continued for about 3 weeks before Beuaregard finally had enough. 

“Caleb! She's in here like every day that I work! What's her problem!” whispered Beauregard, after she noticed the girl get up and head to the restroom. 

“Well Ja, Beuaregard, shes a student here, which means she is allowed to use the library” 

“All she does is sit there and draw! I've never seen her with a textbook, or hell, any book at all!” 

Caleb shakes her head and brushes her off, returning to his book. Beau huffs in frustration, throws her feet up on the desk and grabs her book to keep reading. She holds it up, but her brain is too occupied to try to process the words on the page. She keeps scanning the area around the girls desk to try to steal a glance. After about a minute of patiently waiting, Beau gives up and begins to read. 

Ten minutes pass, and Beau seems to be getting lost in her thoughts instead of the pages, she puts the book down and looks up. When she glances over to where the girl is sitting, she catches the girl staring at her. They lock eyes for what Beau gathered to be about an eternity, before the girl abruptly turns away. Beau doesn’t look towards her for the rest of the night. 

The next thursday, at precisely 9pm, like clockwork, the girl comes into the library, but this time Beau notices that she's not alone. Following her is a short girl with long black hair braided off to the side, and a bright yellow dress with what appears to be way too many buttons. 

They walk over to the desk where the girl usually sits and they put down their bags. The girl in the yellow dress starts to walk up to the desk. Beau panics, and gets up and hides in the hallway to the back room that is behind the desk. 

“Oh, hello Nott” says Caleb 

Alarm bells go off in Beaus' mind. Caleb knows this girl? That means he might know the blue haired girl that beau hasn’t shut up about for the last month. She decides to listen into their conversation. 

“Hi Caleb! I was hanging with Jester…” Nott continued on but Beau had already stopped listening.

Jester. That's her name. After a month of practically being in love with this girl, Beau finally knew her name. “Jester, Jester, Jester.” Beau softly rolled her name around in her mouth. She felt the name was fitting. Artsy, mischievous. She recalls occasionally finding some of the books in the back rows being switched around. It must have been the blue jesters doing. 

Beau snaps back to the conversation that she had intended to be listening in. Caleb and Nott appeared to know each other really well. She listened intently for Jesters name to be dropped again, but they appeared to be just talking about their respective boyfriends. Beau facepalmed for a second. She decided to start working on some organizational tasks she had been meaning to get around to. 

Once Nott leaves the desk, Beau waits another fifteen minutes to leave the backroom. When she walks up to the desk, she grabs Caleb by the arm, and whips him around to face her. 

“You. You know her.” she growls accusatively. 

“Ja beauregard, that was my good friend Nott. She is here with Jester.” Caleb replies, cocking his head. 

“You know Jester too!” Beau says a little too loudly. She quickly glances over to where Jester and Nott are sitting. They don’t appear to have heard her. 

“Yes I do Beauregard. I met her last fall at an event Nott had taken me to.” 

“Why didn’t you say anything! Caleb! Come on!” Beau exclaims.

“You never asked, Beauregard.” 

“I hate you.” 

Beau slumps into her chair and waits for her shift to end. The hours that pass were the slowest Beau had experienced in a long time. 

The next morning, around 9 am, her phone pings.  


* * *

**Unknown Number**

  
**UN:** _hey. is this beau?_

 **Beau:** _Yes.. Who is this?_

 **UN:** _oh! it's jester! you helped me with the scanners._

 **Beau:** _Oh._

 **Beau:** _Hi._

 **Beau:** _Yes it's Beau. Its nice to meet you? I guess?_

 **Beau:** _Talk to you. It's nice to talk to you, that is._

 **UN:** Read, 9:26 am. 

* * *

Beau wanted to die. How did she get her number? She literally hasn’t talked to her in a month, and other than stealing glances, hadn’t interacted at all. Probably Caleb or Nott. She decided she was going to strangle the Zemnian when she saw him next. Her phone pinged again.  


* * *

**Jester**

  
**Jester:** _nott gave me your number. i think she got it through caleb._

 **Beau:** _I see. I'm going to thank him for that the next time I see him._

 **Jester:** _ohmigosh yeah i'm so glad she got it for me i was too afraid to ask for it._

 **Beau:** _Same._

 **Jester:** _annny ways, i was wondering if you would like to get coffee with me sometime?_

 **Beau:** Read, 9:47 am.

* * *

Beau nearly dropped her phone. Was she getting asked out? She panicked, and shoved her phone into her pocket and quickly walked to class. 

Two hours later, her phone pings again.  


* * *

**Jester**

  
**Jester:** _? beau?_

* * *

Beau smacks herself, and drags her hand slowly down her face. Crap, she thought to herself. She left Jester on read. Without thinking, she types out a response.  


* * *

**Jester**

  
**Beau:** _Sorry I was in class._

**Beau:** _I’d love to. I'm done at 3._

_**Beau:** _Meet you at the Leaky tap?__

__**Jester:** _sounds perfect :)__ _

___**Beau:** Read, 12:13 pm. _ _ _

* * *

___Beau felt all the blood in her body rush towards her head, and she nearly keels over in the plaza in front of the history department. She heads across campus, to her favorite spot to study in the sun, while she waits for her next class to start._ _ _

___Her last class of the day dragged on when it did finally come. When the professor dismissed them, Beauregard practically ran to the leaky tap, which was a popular spot for students off campus._ _ _

___The usually quite graceful, martial artist of 18 years, stumbles through the door and straight into the back of a girl who is standing in the middle of the room reading the menu. Beau didn’t notice that her hair was blue._ _ _

___“Oh I am so sorry I was just-” she cuts off as she gets a good look at the victim of her blunder. “Jester?”_ _ _

___She turns. “Beau?”_ _ _

___They stand there, closer than what is normally comfortable with a stranger. Beau lets her eyes wander Jester's face for a moment, studying it. As her eyes graze past Jester's lips, Beau breaks the moment._ _ _

___“Hey Jester.”_ _ _

___“Hi Beau.”_ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> Hi thanks so much for reading! This is the first fanfic I've ever posted, so feedback is greatly appreciated! Come hang out with me on my socials! Ill start posting snippets of my work, as well as take prompts on my tumblr!  
> tumblr: @barikiwi  
> twitter: @gayysnerd  
> if any of u wanna scream about gay things i am ur gal


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